Why Failure is the Only Way to Success
Why Failure is the Only Way to Success
In our society, we have been conditioned to think of failure as a bad thing, when in fact, failure actually leads to success.
Why do we think of failure as a bad thing?
Weāve spent our entire lives being taught that failure is the opposite of success, not a foundational brick to help build it. It might feel a bit backward to think failure as a good thing, but I’ll explain to you exactly why it is.
Starting when weāre little kids, weāre taught that failure means embarrassment. We spend 12 years in school, conditioning our brains during our formative years that if you get a question wrong in class, the teacher might reject you. If you mess up a word during a book report presentation, you might get laughed at. If you get a low grade on a test, that red ink labels you as a failure.
Basically, if you failed in school you could humiliate yourself and become rejected by your peers or mentors. This triggers a biological fear in our brains. Humans are social creatures. We need each other to survive. Our brains have evolutionarily developed the need for approval. Think about it, early hunters and gatherers needed their tribe to help them survive the day to day. If you were outcasted from that tribe, more than likely, you were gonna die.
Luckily, we donāt have to hunt mammoths or gather berries anymore, but that evolutionary need for social approval is still stuck in our brains. Itās about time we reframed failure as a bad thing and start to look at it how failure leads to success.
You wonāt learn anything if you never fail
Okay, personally, I believe thereās no such thing as perfect. But, letās imagine a world where you did things perfectly every time. You would never learn anything. There would never be any improvements made, no innovations created. The world would be boring. Functional, maybe. But boring overall.
According to Nobel Prize winner, Robert Lefkowitz, āScience is 99 percent failure, and thatās an optimistic view.ā If scientists looked at failure as a bad thing, the world would be a very different place than it is now. Weād probably still be hunting mammoths and picking berries to survive the day.
Failure leads to success because the only way you ever learn anything is by trying, failing, trying something different, and finally succeeding. I mean, how can you know where to improve if you never fail?
Fear of failure keeps you in limbo
Procrastination is a direct manifestation of the fear of failure. Think about the last time you procrastinated on something. It was probably something important that needed to get done, and yet you avoided doing it because you felt intense anxiety, dread, or fear around getting started.
Have you ever stopped to think why you felt that anxiety in the first place? Itās likely because you imagined something bad happening if you did the thing you were procrastinating doing. Something bad, like failure.
That fear of failure keeps you in limbo. When you procrastinate, you donāt do anything to move forward, and so you are forever stuck in this in-between state. Destined to stay where you are until you vanquish that fear to try.
The only way to fail is to give up
If you find yourself frozen in limbo by the fear of failing, try reframing it this wayā The only way to truly fail is to give up.
Thomas Edisonās famous quote says, āI have not failed. Iāve just found 10,000 ways that wonāt work.ā The key is not to avoid failure. We know already that that wonāt work. The key is to get back up and try again. That is how failure leads to success.
If you never give up, your success will be inevitable. As simple as that. It doesnāt matter how many āfailuresā it takes to get there. As long as you keep trying, even if itās 10,000 failed attempts later, You Will Succeed. Verses, if you give up you will get comfortable in your defeat and you will spend your entire life wondering what might have been if youād only tried again.
Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Henry Ford are all bonafide failures, but they didnāt give up. Can you imagine how different our world would be if these failures and so many others who helped shape our society gave up after their first or second try?
Build up your resilience
Failure is like a muscle. The first time you fail, itās going to be hard. Youāre going to feel a mixture of emotions, none of them very pleasing. But, if you get up and try again, the next time you fail, it will be easier.
Failing makes you resilient. Eventually, you will have failed so much and so often, that you wonāt even recognize it as defeat anymore. Your setbacks will be data that you learn from and then move on, incorporating what you learned into your new strategy.
Failing teaches you humility. When you fail, you recognize that you donāt know everything. Youāre able to acknowledge your limitations and become open to new ideas.
Failure also teaches us what we want and donāt want. Some people are born lucky enough to know exactly what they want out of life, straight out of the womb. The rest of us bastards need to figure it out for ourselves through trial and error. Iām one of those people who are in the middle. I always knew I wanted to be a writer and an entrepreneur, but I also tried (and failed at) building half a dozen businesses in my twenties before I knew what I wanted to do for a career.
Iām gonna give it to you straight: youāre gonna fail sometimes. Thatās life. But, if you look at those failures as lessons and learn from your experiences, you 100% are going to be ahead of the curve.
Get rid of unhelpful stories
First off, know thisā if youāve faced failure, it is never too late to try again. Whatever story youāve got playing through your head on why you canāt go after what you want, is just a story. I donāt care if you think youāre too old, youāre too young, youāre too this, or too that. Or if you donāt see a representation of people like you doing what you want to do. I donāt care if youāve got generational curses if youāve messed up in the past, or whatever story youāre trying to promote. You are absolutely, 100% capable of finding success, no matter who you are.
These stories playing through your mind are limiting beliefs. And they can be worked through if you have the strength to try. Iām not saying that success comes easy. You might have a difficult road ahead of you, we all do. Life isnāt meant to be easy. This is a wild, crazy adventure filled with ups, downs, uppercuts, and jabs. But if you make a decision to take life a little less seriously, and appreciate both the bumps and the dips, youāre gonna have a hell of a time.
So now you know… Failure leads to success
Failure isnāt a bad thing like we were conditioned to believe as kids. Itās perfectly fine not to get straight As in life, in fact, itās even better. You are much more likely to succeed if you allow yourself to fail and you see those failures as lessons rather than defeat. As long as you never give up, your success will be inevitable. And thatās straight fact.
Create a positive, success-driven mindset with the help of these amazing books
So now what? You know that failure leads to success, but how do we train our brains to accept failure and think like a successful person does? Our minds are incredible tools. We are able to change the way our brain thinks through the phenomenon of neuroplasticity. But… As powerful as our brains are, they can’t just change on their own overnight. They need a little help. That’s where the world of personal development books comes in.
I know, I know. Cue the eye rolls. But I’m serious. This genre of books has literally changed my mindset, and therefore it has also changed my life. I seriously recommend the following books as a starting point to help you develop a successful mindset.
Additional Resources To Help You Build a More Positive Mindset
Mindset Guides:
The Complete Guide to Limiting Beliefs and How To Conquer Them
What is EFT and How to Use It to Reduce Stress
Meditation for Beginners: 9 Steps on How to Clear Your Mind
How to Lower Your Anxiety Now: 5 Easy Hacks You Can Use in the Moment
Books to Grow Your Mindset:
These are books that transformed my life and led me to where I am today and I am confident they will do the same for you.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level
The Complete Wallace D. Wattles Collection
Click Here to see more from the Adventuring Dreamers Resources.